Are Lakers Kevin Durant’s best option?

How joining LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers would redeem Kevin Durant’s image with fans and social media

In a perfect world, Kevin Durant would be Superman and have his own team. But in the real world, he’s found himself playing Robin to Russell Westbrook’s and Steph Curry’s Batman, pining to be understood and have his own team.

The challenge for KD is what comes next. Does he re-sign with the Warriors, assuming they threepeat and everybody wants to keep the dynasty going? Does he try to pair up with another elite free agent and sign with the Knicks, which would theoretically finally give him a team where he was the ‘Man?’
Or does he surprise everybody and become Superman to LeBron’s Batman by signing with the Lakers to form a new superteam to dethrone the Warriors?

What KD decides will change the NBA. Ironically, he’s in the same position LeBron was with fans and social media after the ‘Decision.’ LeBron redeemed his image by returning home and bringing Cleveland an NBA championship. While Kevin’s overly sensitive about what NBA fans and social media think, he has a chance next summer to make a move that could redeem his public persona just as LeBron’s return to Cleveland turned him from villain to hero.

The Golden State Warriors remain the favorites to re-sign KD as a free agent next summer despite concerns his confrontation with Draymond Green may have made him less likely to stay. Kevin’s a sensitive player who apparently finds himself in a no-win situation with the Warriors, who didn’t need him to win championships before and likely believe they can still win if he leaves. It’s not hard to imagine why KD feels underappreciated and thinks it’s time to go.

On the other hand, there’s no team in the NBA that’s a better fit for Kevin or better bet to win another championship than the Golden State Warriors. Deciding to leave such a perfect situation is not something Durant should do unless he’s sure where he’s going will not only be better for him personally but also will afford him as good an opportunity to win an NBA championship. Should Kevin decide to bolt the Dubs, he’s making a big gamble on himself.

In the end, I think there’s a good chance the Warriors will threepeat and KD will win his third straight Finals MVP. If that happens, I think Kevin will be ready to move on, considering his three straight Warriors championships as fulfilling his duty to the Warriors and freeing him to move on with his career. Unfortunately, I’m not sure Warriors fans would be as forgiving as Cavs fans. Chances are good they’re going to dump on KD just like Thunder fans did.

If Kevin Durant does decide to leave the Warriors, his main options would be the New York Knicks and the Los Angeles Lakers, who have the existing talent and open cap space next summer to build a superteam around Kevin Durant.

Besides the Warriors, the Knicks are the franchise most favored to sign Kevin Durant per the Las Vegas odds makers, primarily because they’ll have the cap space next summer to sign two max contract superstars to go with Porzingis. The idea of bolting the Warriors to play for the Knicks in the Garden could attract KD, who’s talked about playing for the Knicks before. It’s also a move that would likely garner initial raves and support from fans and social media.

The only question would be whether the Knicks with KD could win it all. Kristaps Porzingis will be coming back after missing the entire season due to injury and the rest of the Knicks roster is not championship caliber. Frankly, it’s hard to imagine the Knicks with KD and Kemba Walker or Jimmy Butler having enough to do more than make the playoffs, especially in a rejuvenated Eastern Conference loaded with the Raptors, Bucks, Celtics, and 76ers.

The last thing Kevin Durant wants is to leave the Warriors for another team only then to have the Warriors win another NBA championship without him. That would only prove Draymond Green’s mean taunt that the Warriors didn’t need Kevin to win a championship. Social media would destroy him. That’s ultimately why KD’s not going to leave the Warriors for the Knicks. There’s just too many unknowns to risk the humiliation of not succeeding.

If KD’s unhappy with how the press, fans, and social media portrayed him for joining the enemy Warriors after losing to them in the Western Conference, there’s no way he’d be able to handle the taunting vicious New York media.

That leaves KD joining the Lakers to be Superman to LeBron James’ Batman, which is actually the perfect solution for Kevin Durant. Unlike when he joined the Warriors, KD would be joining a team that needed him to be able to win a championship. Instead of being the disgruntled player who lost and then left to join the team that beat him, he’d be the champion who decided he needed a new challenge and joined with LeBron to turn the Lakers into champions.

The media has been on fire with rumors that many of the elite free agents available this summer won’t be interested in playing second fiddle to LeBron. Durant said as much himself when he complained the pro-LeBron fanboys in the media have made the media environment surrounding the Lakers ‘toxic.’ It does take a different kind of superstar to play with LeBron James. Young stars like Kyrie and Kawhi might not want to play with a dominant LeBron.

The truth is Kevin Durant is the perfect candidate to join LeBron James and resurrect the Los Angles Lakers. Bron and KD are already good friends and universally acknowledged as the best two players on the planet. The timing next summer is going to be perfect for Kevin to leave and join the Lakers. By next summer, Kevin will likely have led the Warriors to three championships so nobody could claim he was abandoning ship like he did leaving OKC.

By spurning the Warriors for the Lakers, Kevin Durant would also have a perfect opportunity to turn the tables on the Warriors and show Draymond Green and the world that he was and still is the ultimate difference maker

For the Lakers, Kevin Durant is also the perfect superstar to pair with LeBron James. What would be even better than finding a Robin for LeBron’s Batman? How about Superman joining Batman to form the ultimate dynamic duo?Two equal superstars selflessly combining and submerging their talents to resurrect Lakers’ greatness and go down in NBA history as the greatest duo of superstars to ever play on the same team. Kevin Durant and LeBron James.

Joining LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers would also redeem Kevin Durant’s image with fans and social media. KD would literally be viewed as a hero, Superman coming to the rescue of Batman. Kevin Durant’s probably the only superstar LeBron James would openly welcome to the Lakers as his worthy equal and co-star. Kevin Durant and LeBron James playing together would be the NBA version of Superman and Batman. It would reset the NBA.

If Kevin Durant wants to redeem his image with fans and social media, then he needs to sign with the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent next summer and join together with LeBron James to lead the Lakers back to the top of the NBA